Service in Haitian Evangelical Churches in Santiago De Chile: Liturgy, Orality and Symbolism (2022-2024)

Haitian evangelical churches in Santiago de Chile have developed several liturgical elements that indicate the importance of a weekly moment of rupture with everyday life, particularly on Sundays, in which the state of things is ordered from a religious-cultural perspective of reproducing a world of their own. Suppose the daily living conditions of Haitian migrants are often vulnerable, with a series of obstacles that seek to prevent them from living a full life, in contrast. In that case, the service deploys a series of resources that imply a distinctive and unique participation: the collective appropriation of the word and the religious symbols that provide an agential impulse. Orality, liturgy, and symbolism which they share for a few hours, in a space-time socially opposed to the profane experience in Chile. The religious meaning of the Haitian community liturgy has been little explored in Latin American countries, so here we investigate the meanings that articulate those who attend these meetings in the diaspora. Through ethnography and in-depth interviews, we approach this symbolic plethora in search of understanding and explaining the cultural connection to Haitianness within Chilean society.